Checkerboard biscuits


Checkerboard biscuits
These biscuits are half and half chocolate and almond in a checkerboard pattern, both in colour and flavour.
154 K 4.7/5 (23 reviews)
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Last modified on: March 8th 2012
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For 20 shortbreads biscuits, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour 25 min.
Resting: 2 hours 45 min.
Cooking: 15 min.
All in all: 4 hours 25 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - ⌛ 10 min.
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 1
Put 250 g flour, 125 g butter, 125 g caster sugar and 1 egg into a food-processor bowl. Knead until evenly mixed.

Stage 2 - ⌛ 2 min.
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 2
Take out half the dough and set aside. Add 30 g ground almonds to the remaining dough and knead for a further 1 or 2 minutes until evenly mixed.

Gather the almond dough into a flattened cake, wrap in stretch plastic film and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight).

Stage 3 - ⌛ 2 min.
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 3
Put the other half of the dough back in the bowl, add 15 g powdered cocoa and knead for a further 1 or 2 minutes until evenly mixed.

Stage 4 - ⌛ 2 hours
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 4
Gather the chocolate dough into a flattened cake, wrap in stretch plastic film and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight).

Stage 5 - ⌛ 5 min.
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 5
After this time, roll out the chocolate dough into a long rectangle about 1 cm (0.4 inch) thick.

It is best to use guide rules to help you do this (I'm using 2 iron bars here).

Stage 6 - ⌛ 25 min.
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 6
Then cut the dough lengthways into long strips 1cm wide.

Do the same with the almond dough.

Stage 7 - ⌛ 5 min.
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 7
Use a deep cake tin or mould and lay a first layer in the bottom, alternating stripes of chocolate and almond.

Stage 8 - ⌛ 30 min.
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 8
Moisten the top of this layer with a brush dipped in water.

Stage 9 - ⌛ 45 min.
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 9
Arrange a second layer of alternate stripes, but the other way round. So, if the first layer began with a chocolate stripe, the second layer should begin with an almond one.

Continue alternating the strips in layers like this until you have used them all, moistening between the layers.

Put in the freezer for 45 minutes to firm up the dough a little and make it easier to cut.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

Stage 10 - ⌛ 5 min.
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 10
After this time, remove the block of dough from the mould and cut into slices about 1cm thick.

Stage 11
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 11
Place the slices on a baking sheet.

Stage 12 - ⌛ 15 min.
Checkerboard biscuits : Stage 12
Bake for around 15 minutes 200°C (390°F), but do not let the almond part brown.
Remarks
As always with shortbread-style biscuits, it is important not to overcook them. They should still be slightly yielding and not completely hard and dry.

You can vary this recipe however you wish, using flavours other than chocolate and almonds, so use your imagination.
Keeping: A few days in an airtight tin.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe40 RDI=20 %320 RDI=30 %130 RDI=20 %2,630 RDI=130 %11,020 RDI: 130 %
Per 100 g6 RDI=2 %50 RDI=5 %20 RDI=3 %440 RDI=20 %1,850 RDI: 20 %
Per shortbread biscuits1 RDI=1 %20 RDI=2 %6 RDI=1 %130 RDI=7 %550 RDI: 7 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
Possible allergens in this recipe: Gluten, milk, egg, Nuts
How much will it cost?
  • For 20 shortbreads biscuits : 2.15 €
  • Per shortbread biscuits : 0.15 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
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